Fluffy Sourdough Pumpkin Pancakes (With an Overnight Option)
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Is there anything better than a stack of Sourdough Pumpkin Pancakes on a crisp fall morning? These are soft, incredibly fluffy, and full of cozy fall flavor from pumpkin, cinnamon, and pumpkin spice. They’re easy enough to make on a busy morning, but you can also mix the batter the night before and let it long ferment for an even easier breakfast the next day!
If you’re craving more pumpkin this season, try my Sourdough Pumpkin Waffles for a crispier option. And when you’re in the mood for a classic stack, my Sourdough Pancakes are always a favorite.
Quick Look: Sourdough Pumpkin Pancakes
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Rest Time: 10
- Cook Time: 4 minutes
- Total Time: 24 minutes
- Servings: 26 pancakes
- Calories: ~ 140kcal per pancake (based on nutritional panel)
- Cook Method: Stovetop, skillet
- Flavor Profile: Fluffy, soft, and warmly spiced with pumpkin, cinnamon, and pumpkin spice. A cozy fall breakfast best served warm with maple syrup!
- Difficulty: Easy — Simple batter, quick to cook, and ready in under an hour. Can also be prepped the night before!
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Why You’ll Love These Sourdough Pumpkin Pancakes
- Make them now or prep them the night before—These are the kind of pancakes I love making on a slow Saturday morning. You can mix up the batter and cook them right away, or prep everything the night before and let it ferment in the fridge overnight. If you like having both options, try my Sourdough Discard English Muffins too.
- They make a big batch and freeze really well—This recipe makes about 26 pancakes, which means you’ll have plenty for breakfast now and extras to tuck away in the freezer for later. My Sourdough Apple Pancakes are another favorite that freeze beautifully.
- You’ll use the whole can of pumpkin—No leftover half-can of pumpkin hiding in the back of the fridge! This recipe uses the whole thing, and if you’re looking for another easy pumpkin recipe, try my Sourdough Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins.
- Soft, fluffy, and full of fall flavor—Pumpkin, cinnamon, and pumpkin spice make these pancakes feel extra cozy, while the sourdough helps keep them soft and fluffy. If you love those flavors, my Sourdough Pumpkin Dutch Baby is another one worth trying.
Ingredients & Substitutions
* To find precise measurements, scroll to the bottom of this post to find the recipe card*
- Flour—I used all-purpose flour to make the pumpkin pancake batter.
- Brown Sugar—I love the rich, caramel flavor that light brown sugar brings to this recipe. You can use dark brown sugar, white sugar, cane sugar, maple syrup, or honey instead of light brown sugar, too.
- Sourdough Starter Discard—I used fresh sourdough discard at room temperature. I recommend using discard that’s no more than 1-2 days old. It’s OK to use an active sourdough starter for these homemade fluffy pancakes. If you go with a bubbly starter, make sure to measure the same amount in grams.
- Pumpkin Puree—Pumpkin purée is the star of the show. It’s best to use real pumpkin puree, NOT pumpkin pie filling. I haven’t tested this recipe with homemade pumpkin filling, though. If you give it a go, let me know how it turns out in the comments section below this post.
- Milk—I used whole milk, but feel free to use 2% milk or your favorite plant-based milk, such as oat, almond, or soy milk.
How to Make Sourdough Pumpkin Pancakes Recipe
- In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients and set aside.
- In a liquid measuring cup, whisk together the pumpkin puree and milk until smooth. Warm in the microwave. Then add these and the remaining wet ingredients to a medium bowl. Whisk until smooth.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and whisk until just combined. It’s okay if there are a few lumps in the batter. The lumps will cook out just fine. Leave the batter to rest for at least 15 minutes.
- Preheat a medium skillet to medium high. Pour the pumpkin batter into the hot skillet.
- Cook until bubbles form on the surface, then flip and cook for another 1–2 minutes.
- Serve warm your pumpkin sourdough pancakes with maple syrup and enjoy!
*Refer to the notes in the recipe card below if you’d like to long-ferment the batter.
McKenna’s Helpful Tips
- Don’t overmix the batter. Whisk the wet and dry ingredients together just until combined. A few lumps are completely fine and will cook out as the pancakes cook. I use the same trick when making regular Sourdough Pancakes, too.
- Cook the pumpkin pancakes lower and slower. Medium-low to medium heat gives the centers enough time to cook through without the outside getting too dark. You want a hot pan, but not so hot that the pancakes brown before the middle is done. I do the same thing with Sourdough Zucchini Fritters and turn down the heat when they start browning too quickly.
- Flip the pancakes at the right time. Wait until bubbles form and pop across the surface and the edges look set and slightly dry. Flip the pancake once, then let the second side finish cooking without pressing down on it.
- Make the batter ahead if you’d like to. Prepare it the night before, leaving out the eggs, melted butter, cinnamon, pumpkin spice, and vanilla. Cover and refrigerate overnight. The next morning, whisk in the remaining ingredients and cook the pancakes as usual.
How to Store
Store completely cooled leftover pancakes in an airtight container or zip-top bag in the fridge for up to 3 days. You can also freeze them for up to 2 months. Place parchment paper between the fluffy pumpkin pancakes to keep them from sticking together. Reheat them in the microwave, toaster oven, or skillet when you’re ready to eat.
Sourdough Pumpkin Pancakes FAQs
Will an active sourdough starter work for these pumpkin pancakes?
Yes. You can use an active starter instead of discard for these sourdough pumpkin spice pancakes. Use the same amount in grams. And if you’d like to make some pumpkin bread at a later time, try this Sourdough Pumpkin Bread. This one uses a bubbly starter, though, not discard.
How do I make these pumpkin pancakes the night before?
To long-ferment the batter, prepare it the night before and leave out the eggs, melted butter, cinnamon, pumpkin spice, and vanilla extract. Cover the batter and refrigerate it overnight. The next morning, whisk in the remaining ingredients and cook the pancakes as usual.
What’s the difference between pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie filling?
Pumpkin puree is simply cooked pumpkin, while pumpkin pie filling contains added sweeteners and spices. Use plain pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling, which is already sweetened and seasoned for pie. Pie filling would change the flavor and could make these sourdough discard pancakes sweeter than you’d like. If you’re more of a bread person, my Sourdough Pumpkin Quick Bread is another way to use pumpkin puree for that cozy fall flavor.
If you tried this Sourdough Pumpkin Pancakes recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Sourdough Pumpkin Pancake Recipe
Yield: 26 pancakes
These Sourdough Pumpkin Pancakes are soft, fluffy, and full of cozy fall flavor from pumpkin, cinnamon, and pumpkin spice. Made with sourdough starter and a whole can of pumpkin puree, they’re an easy fall breakfast that can be made right away or long-fermented overnight.
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Equipment
- skillet
Ingredients
Sourdough Pumpkin Pancakes
- 385 grams all-purpose flour 2 3/4 cups
- 20 grams baking powder 1 Tablespoons + 2 teaspoons
- 70 grams light brown sugar 1/4 cup + 1 1/2 Tablespoons
- 7 grams ground cinnamon 1 Tablespoon + 1/2 teaspoons
- 2 gram pumpkin pie spice 3/4 teaspoon
- 5 grams salt 3/4 teaspoon
- 420 grams milk 1 3/4 cups
- 425 grams pumpkin puree 1 whole can, see notes for smaller batch*
- 150 grams unsalted butter, melted 11 Tablespoons
- 195 grams eggs, room temperature about 4 large eggs
- 175 grams sourdough discard, room temperature 3/4 cup
- 8 grams vanilla extract 2 teaspoons
- butter for pan
Honey Cinnamon Butter (optional)
- 113 grams salted butter, room temperature 1/2 cup
- 50 grams honey 2 Tablespoons
- 2 grams ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon
Instructions
Quick Version
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, brown sugar, ground cinnamon, pumpkin spice and salt until combined. Set aside.385 grams all-purpose flour, 20 grams baking powder, 70 grams light brown sugar, 5 grams salt, 2 gram pumpkin pie spice, 7 grams ground cinnamon
- In a liquid measuring cup, whisk together the milk and pumpkin puree. Heat the mixture in the microwave until warm, not hot. To a medium bowl, add the pumpkin/milk mixture, melted butter, room temperature eggs, room temperature sourdough discard, and vanilla extract. Whisk until smooth.420 grams milk, 425 grams pumpkin puree, 150 grams unsalted butter, melted, 195 grams eggs, room temperature, 175 grams sourdough discard, room temperature, 8 grams vanilla extract
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk until just blended. Careful not to over mix, a few lumps in the batter is okay! Allow the batter to rest for at least 10-15 minutes.
- While the batter rests, heat a large skillet to medium heat.
- Grease the pan with butter or avocado oil and pour the batter, about 1/4 cup, into the hot skillet. Cook until bubbly on top, about 2-3 minutes, then flip and continue to cook for 1-2 minutes more.butter for pan
- Remove the pancakes from the skillet and stack on a plate. Repeat with the remaining batter. Serve hot and enjoy!
Overnight Version (Long Ferment)
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, brown sugar, and salt until combined. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, pumpkin puree, and bubbly sourdough starter. Once smooth, pour the wet ingredients onto the flour mixture and mix until just incorporated. Cover and place the bowl into the fridge to ferment overnight.
- The next morning, pull the sourdough pancake batter out of the fridge. There should visibly be lots of bubbles on top and the batter should have a pleasant tangy aroma.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, melted butter, ground cinnamon, pumpkin spice and vanilla extract. Pour the egg mixture into the batter and mix until incorporated.
- Preheat a large skillet to medium heat.
- Grease the pan with butter or avocado oil and pour the batter, about 1/4 cup, into the hot skillet. Cook until bubbly on top, about 2-3 minutes, then flip and continue to cook for 1-2 minutes more.
- Remove the pancakes from the skillet and stack on a plate. Repeat with the remaining batter. Serve hot and enjoy!
Cinnamon Honey Butter (optional)
- To a small bowl, add the butter, honey and ground cinnamon.113 grams salted butter, room temperature, 50 grams honey, 2 grams ground cinnamon
- Whisk the ingredients until the texture is smooth and everything is combined. Serve with the pumpkin pancakes and enjoy!
Notes
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Flour—I used all-purpose flour to make the pumpkin pancake batter.
- Brown Sugar—I love the rich, caramel flavor that light brown sugar brings to this recipe. You can use dark brown sugar, white sugar, cane sugar, maple syrup, or honey instead of light brown sugar, too.
- Sourdough Starter Discard—I used fresh sourdough discard at room temperature. I recommend using discard that’s no more than 1-2 days old. It’s OK to use an active sourdough starter for these homemade fluffy pancakes. If you go with a bubbly starter, make sure to measure the same amount in grams.
- Pumpkin Puree—Pumpkin purée is the star of the show. It’s best to use real pumpkin puree, NOT pumpkin pie filling. I haven’t tested this recipe with homemade pumpkin filling, though. If you give it a go, let me know how it turns out in the comments section below this post.
- Milk—I used whole milk, but feel free to use 2% milk or your favorite plant-based milk, such as oat, almond, or soy milk.
Tips for the Best Sourdough Pumpkin Pancakes
Room Temperature Ingredients If you are making the quick version of this recipe, I highly suggest taking the time to use room temperature eggs and warm milk. Why? Because this will give you the most buttery and delicious tasting homemade pancakes. If the batter is warm when the melted butter is added, the butter will evenly disperse in the batter. However if the batter is cool, the butter will harden into little bits, thus not spreading evenly. I like to quicken this process by placing the eggs in a bowl of hot water for 5 minutes and using the microwave to heat up the milk. Allow the Batter to Rest When whipping up the quick version, leave the batter to rest after mixing for at least 10-15 minutes. This allows the gluten to relax creating a more tender Sourdough Pumpkin Waffle.How to Keep Sourdough Pumpkin Pancakes Warm
If you’re not going to enjoy the pancakes straight off the skillet, turn your oven to the “warm” setting or about 220 degrees F. and place the fresh pancakes in an even layer on a baking sheet in the oven until ready to enjoy.Prefer a Smaller Batch?
If you prefer only using 1 cup of pumpkin puree, this smaller batch makes 15 pancakes! Prep the same way as written above.- 230 grams all-purpose flour (1 1/2 cups + 2 Tablespoons)
- 12 grams baking powder (1 Tablespoon)
- 40 grams light brown sugar (3 Tablespoons)
- 4 grams ground cinnamon (2 teaspoons)
- 1 gram pumpkin pie spice (1/2 teaspoon)
- 3 grams salt (1/2 teaspoon)
- 240 grams milk (1 cup)
- 240 grams pumpkin puree (1 cup)
- 85 grams unsalted butter, melted (6 Tablespoons)
- 100 grams eggs (about 2 large eggs)
- 100 grams sourdough discard, room temperature (1/3 cup)
- 4 grams vanilla extract (1 teaspoon)
Nutrition
Serving: 1pancake | Calories: 140kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 42mg | Sodium: 176mg | Potassium: 91mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 2756IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 83mg | Iron: 1mg
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We can’t get enough of these sourdough pumpkin pancakes! They are so fluffy, freeze beautifully and use a whole can of pumpkin!